There’s the Spurs (lost in the first round), the Celtics (lost 4-1 in the second round), the Lakers (swept in the second round).

This NBA postseason is about ascension and redemption, from Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant to Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James, a playoff bust the previous two seasons, seeking salvation in South Beach.

And this, the most zany, zesty postseason in years, has also provided some unlikely story lines, from eighth-seeded Memphis taking a second-round series to seven, to the Hawks kryptonite-ing Superman, to the Mavericks’ J.J. Barea, the “Rudy” of Dallas (though Rudy did not date Miss Universe).

But perhaps the most inspiring story line is, alas, an old story. Like really old. Udonis Haslem splashed onto the national scene with the 2006 Heat. He has been a steady player since — the Nuggets even made a run at the power forward last summer — but he signed for less money with Miami — and promptly injured his foot and underwent what was deemed, at the time, as season-ending surgery.

But Haslem was back on the court this postseason, albeit sparingly, and then in the biggest game of the Heat’s season, he had one of his biggest games — ever. In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals (Game 3 is today), coach Erik Spoelstra watched his team flail on the boards early on — Chicago, in fact, grabbed seven offensive rebounds in a little over seven minutes. So the coach called on Haslem, whom after the game he called “an absolute championship warrior.”

“There was a look in his eye, and I knew it was time,” Spoelstra said after the game, which Miami won in Chicago and thus tied the series. “What he did tonight was absolutely remarkable.”

Haslem scored 13 points, along with five rebounds, two assists, a block, a steal and incalculable hustle. He hit a fearless jumper. He attacked as if the opponents were minor inconveniences. It was as about a beautiful resurgence (moreover out of nowhere) that I can remember. After the game, Haslem received a bear hug from owner Micky Arison, who has happily invested the hustle that is Haslem. And James said in a postgame interview that Haslem deserved the game ball.

Haslem is a throwback. He’s a team-first dude who took less money to be a role player on an elite team. Miami talk show host Jeremy Marks-Peltz, featured on The Ticket last week, said that besides Dwyane Wade, Haslem is the player fans adore the most (yes, more than LeBron). Say what you want about Miami being a second-tier sports town — Crockett, Tubbs, Tony Montana, Ray Finkle and the gang all seem to respect the hustle.

Kansas State hoops coach Frank Martin is a Miami native. He tweeted shortly after the game, from @FrankMartinKSU: haslem won 2 state chips in HS, played 4 natl chip in college and won an NBA chip. coincidence? Winner.

It’s possible that Haslem’s impact on the series has already happened. It will be tough to top what he did in Game 2.

But in a postseason providing beautiful basketball stories, the story of Udonis was an Adonis.

Benjamin Hochman was a sports columnist for The Denver Post until August 2015 before leaving for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, his hometown newspaper. Hochman previously worked for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for its Hurricane Katrina coverage. Hochman wrote the Katrina-themed book “Fourth and New Orleans,” published in 2007.

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